knead2read's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing story of family, and the things people do for those they love.
zenarae's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. The overall story was okay, but the writing was not great, and the ending was just too over the top for me.
desrosiersara's review against another edition
5.0
A serendipitous find for MLK day weekend. Beautiful story and definitely a worthwhile read for anybody and everybody
knitwgrace's review against another edition
3.0
A high 3 stars. Really good writing, interesting plot and new time period/setting for me.
dpsmom's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was disappointing. It has so much potential and it took the safe story and made it less interesting. So many loose ends were left, the ending was ridiculously weak and random discrepancies pertaining to the main character’s emotional maturity made this book fall short.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding and heartbreaking narrative of apartheid in 1976 Johannesburg - completely unfiltered racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism are displayed and analyzed through the eyes of a shattered white 10-year-old girl and a black mother desperately searching for her daughter. This was in no way an easy read, but it was an incredibly fast read for being such a deep and lengthy story. Highly recommend.
king_rune's review against another edition
The book is very heavy which is to be expected considering the content. I have read several heavy books back to back and needed a break.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, War, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault
jackie_beyondthebookends's review against another edition
5.0
All I can say is wow! Thank you so much for this ARC. This is a truly phenomenal book. And while it's written about A very difficult and recent time in our history, it somehow doesn't preach. It is a beautiful story about a nine-year-old white girl and a black woman whose lives become intertwined. I don't want to spoil anything about this book because I truly feel it is a must read. It is funny, heart-wrenching and impeccably written. This is a Stunning accomplishment in writing.
zachswain's review against another edition
2.0
BLUF: A rather vapid book that takes place in appartheid South Africa. Potential was wasted by focusing on a bratty, white South African girl's story over the much more interesting black South African woman's. In spite of claiming to be sensitive, the book ends with two tropes that could have been avoided.
I was excited to read this book. I've never studied apartheid in South Africa and don't know much about it beyond a white, colonial power ruled over the indigenous population and discriminated (to put it mildly) against them in government, public spaces, and the legal system. Sadly, after reading this book I don't have any clearer a picture of apartheid...the above is pretty much what you take away from the book.
The book is written from two perspectives; a black, South African woman named Beauty, and a white, 9 year old South African girl named Robin. The two perspectives are not given equal time nor treatment...Robin's is written from the present looking back on her story, Beauty's is in the present tense as the story takes place. I didn't count, but Robin appears to get more chapters or, at least, I felt the story focused on her perspective more. Robin is also treated as a device, there to be used...when she needs to be brilliant, she is. When she needs to be a dumb kid, she is. When she needs to have a realization to express a view for the author, she does. She
Beauty's story, by contrast, is full of wasted potential. She's searching for her daughter, a student that was involved in the Soweto uprisings, whom Beauty receives word is in grave danger so she goes looking for her. Beauty's story is one of a mother searching for her daughter, discovering the type of people she's become involved with, and doing whatever it takes to remain in a position where she continue her search in a country that doesn't permit someone like her (black) to even be out after curfew, let alone with anywhere without a passbook.
Had the author focused on Beauty, her search, her daughter, the path her daughter went down, and the results, the book could have been phenomenal. It would have had the potential to focus on the apartheid regime, why people hated it, why it would eventually end, how people dealt with it, and how good people are driven to do bad things in the name of justice. Instead, we mostly got Robin's story as she discovered the world isn't what she saw a child in her parent's house. A brat who makes poor decisions (as children often do), Robin isn't an interesting character.
A better story might have used the two perspectives of Beauty, a woman perservering, contrasted with her daughter, a woman fighting, and the ebbs and flows of that relationship as her daughter grows from the innocence of youth into an adult that has to contend with an unjust ruling class of colonizers.
And now we have to talk about the end...
In contrast, by the end of book I saw Beauty not as a woman perservering, but as the embodiment of the Magic Negro trope. She played too much the backup character to Robin's spotlight, allowing Robin to reach the right conclusions through unending love and patience. Beauty also reminded me of Sidney Poitier's character in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", a character who is so flawless that it is clear their race is the only motivation for being discriminated against or disliked. More depth, or a contrast between her and her daughter, would have made for a better book.
The author's end note reads like a social justice disclaimer...sensitivity trainers were consulted, her privileged past is acknowledged, guilt is proclaimed. I imagine she sees a lot of herself in Robin, and maybe writing Robin as a bratty kid who does dumb things is a form of penance, but a better service to Beauty and Eunice (the author's live in maid) might have been to focus on Beauty's story over Robin's.
I was excited to read this book. I've never studied apartheid in South Africa and don't know much about it beyond a white, colonial power ruled over the indigenous population and discriminated (to put it mildly) against them in government, public spaces, and the legal system. Sadly, after reading this book I don't have any clearer a picture of apartheid...the above is pretty much what you take away from the book.
The book is written from two perspectives; a black, South African woman named Beauty, and a white, 9 year old South African girl named Robin. The two perspectives are not given equal time nor treatment...Robin's is written from the present looking back on her story, Beauty's is in the present tense as the story takes place. I didn't count, but Robin appears to get more chapters or, at least, I felt the story focused on her perspective more. Robin is also treated as a device, there to be used...when she needs to be brilliant, she is. When she needs to be a dumb kid, she is. When she needs to have a realization to express a view for the author, she does. She
Spoiler
loses her parents early on, something of a plot device reminscent of a Disney movie, which makes the audience empathize with her and gives the book a reason for being written, but her parents are written as horribly racist South African whites so the reader can be justified feeling like they deserved it.Beauty's story, by contrast, is full of wasted potential. She's searching for her daughter, a student that was involved in the Soweto uprisings, whom Beauty receives word is in grave danger so she goes looking for her. Beauty's story is one of a mother searching for her daughter, discovering the type of people she's become involved with, and doing whatever it takes to remain in a position where she continue her search in a country that doesn't permit someone like her (black) to even be out after curfew, let alone with anywhere without a passbook.
Had the author focused on Beauty, her search, her daughter, the path her daughter went down, and the results, the book could have been phenomenal. It would have had the potential to focus on the apartheid regime, why people hated it, why it would eventually end, how people dealt with it, and how good people are driven to do bad things in the name of justice. Instead, we mostly got Robin's story as she discovered the world isn't what she saw a child in her parent's house. A brat who makes poor decisions (as children often do), Robin isn't an interesting character.
A better story might have used the two perspectives of Beauty, a woman perservering, contrasted with her daughter, a woman fighting, and the ebbs and flows of that relationship as her daughter grows from the innocence of youth into an adult that has to contend with an unjust ruling class of colonizers.
And now we have to talk about the end...
Spoiler
How horrible. Robin embodies the white savior, doing something completely unrealistic, most likely unsafe and lethal, finding Beauty's daughter, bringing her to Beauty, and coming to terms with her foster mother/aunt.In contrast, by the end of book I saw Beauty not as a woman perservering, but as the embodiment of the Magic Negro trope. She played too much the backup character to Robin's spotlight, allowing Robin to reach the right conclusions through unending love and patience. Beauty also reminded me of Sidney Poitier's character in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", a character who is so flawless that it is clear their race is the only motivation for being discriminated against or disliked. More depth, or a contrast between her and her daughter, would have made for a better book.
The author's end note reads like a social justice disclaimer...sensitivity trainers were consulted, her privileged past is acknowledged, guilt is proclaimed. I imagine she sees a lot of herself in Robin, and maybe writing Robin as a bratty kid who does dumb things is a form of penance, but a better service to Beauty and Eunice (the author's live in maid) might have been to focus on Beauty's story over Robin's.
mhoffrob's review against another edition
4.0
"Hum if You Don't Know the Words" is a great novel set in apartheid era South Africa. The narration alternates between a 10 year old white girl, Robin, and a black matriarch, Beauty. Midway through the work, their lives intertwine and become important to each other as they struggle with loss and life. Each story is well written, although there are times Robin's chapters seem more like adult memory than a child's point of view. Thoroughly enjoyable and a lovely novel.